The Soviet T-34 medium tank was undoubtedly the most important tank design of World War 2. In retrospect, one can go as far as to say "it was the tank that won the war". On the other hand, it was not an easy birth of a legend, as its revolutionary new tank design was not widely embraced when it was first proposed yet ultimately had to be rushed into production.

This publication describes, in hitherto unseen detail and research, the birth of the legendary T-34 through its first series production Model 1940. It starts with the path that led to the first prototypes, covers the many details of its production models and, finally, follows it into action during those so decisive first five months of the Great Patriotic War, today most commonly known by the German name for the invasion, Operation Barbarossa. During this campaign, both the T-34 and KV tank came as a complete surprise to the advancing German Wehrmacht, and on many encounters the two new Soviet tanks designs slowed down the German momentum, eventually to an extent that the objective of Moscow could not be taken before winter arrived.

Over the past decade, the author devoted himself to the many technical details of T-34-76 models, indeed closely looking at each and every "nut and bolt" and is now able to provide the first ever in-depth research on the development, technology and combat history of the T-34 Model 1940, the first version of a legendary tank family.